Response to Unsolicited Commercial Communications
Drew Carlson
SFR members and other interested participants in the SFR Google Group:
This is a response from the SFR Board regarding the email titled “Unsolicited Commercial Communications,” dated February 21. We would like to offer some clarification regarding what is considered “unsolicited email” within the SFR Google group. There are guidelines written by SFR Group Owner (Jim Gourgoutis) in 2012 that spell out the conduct and types of messages and behaviors expected within the Group. Here is a link to that wording:
https://groups.google.com/g/sfrandon/c/CgJ0HfDu-L0?pli=1
There is nothing which appeared on the SFRandon discussion list, or separately in the info docs (sent only to registered riders on one specific brevet) that contradicts the Group’s guidelines. Also worth noting that these are merely guidelines, not rules, as mis-stated in the Feb 21 email. The intent of the wording “unsolicited commercial email” in the guidelines is to keep out spammers who are only trying to sell something and otherwise have no interest in the SFR Google group or even randonneuring. There are many examples in the past of active SFR members posting to the SFR group to market products and services to other SFR members, such as bags and custom bicycles, among other products. Plenty of people have used the SFR Google group to post personal bikes and parts for sale.
The board was happy to oblige a request from one such active SFR member to hand out free samples at the start of a brevet, because the product in every way could be helpful to SFR members “to encourage and facilitate bicycle cyclo-touring and randonneuring activities in and around San Francisco, California…” also mentioned in the SFR guidelines. The leadership of SFR wants to continue in that spirit, and encourages communications of this nature going forward.
Further, the board agreed that email communications would be improved if all used a first and last name when signing emails. With 962 users, it gets confusing quickly when a thread has just a first name in the signature.